ChatGPT as a Feedback Provider: Arab Students' Perceptions of AI-Based Writing Evaluation in Academic English

Abstract

The research has four constructs, including perceived usefulness, trust and accuracy, motivation, and behavior intention, which indicate the perceptions of EFL students regarding ChatGPT as a feedback tool in English writing. The mixed-methods design was used to collect data (N = 254) on surveys and open-ended responses. Quantitative methods (descriptive statistics, reliability, regression, and mediation) indicated that ChatGPT was the most useful tool in general in enhancing the grammar, organization, and clarity of readers. Its performance was impressive, but it was also inconsistent with its accuracy, as it had gaps in contexts that arose occasionally. The regression proved that perceived usefulness, trust, and motivation were all helpful predictors of behavioral intention and that motivation mediated usability. This was supported by the qualitative results, which focused on the immediacy and supportiveness of ChatGPT. To conclude, ChatGPT is a useful and supplementary type of feedback compared to the one provided by a teacher because it helps to foster self-confidence and self-reliance in a student when editing the drafts.